Rail anchor and the method of making the same



Nov. 24, 1936 D. c. MULVIHILL RAIL ANCHOR AND THE METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed June 5, 1935 &

Patented Nov. 24, 1936 airs STATES RAIL ANCHOR AND THE METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Application June 3, 1935, Serial No. 24,616

4 Claims.

This invention relates to rail anchors and has for its principal object the provision of new and improved means for preventing creeping of the rails of railway tracks.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved resilient rail anchor that is so constructed that the resiliency of the anchor causes the same to continually grip the rail while in position thereon. a

A further object of the invention is the provision of anew and improvedrail anchor made from a single strip of metal having a gripping portion turned edgewise and a resilient portion turned flatwise toward the bottom of the rail. Further objects of, the invention are the provision of a new and improved rail anchor that is inexpensive to manufacture, easily applied to the rail, efficient in operation and which is not likely to become permanently distorted or broken.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a transverse section of a portion of a railway showing the invention in position on one of the rails;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one end of the anchor with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of Fig. l with parts in section;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 1 but showing a modified form of the anchor; and

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 3 of the form of anchor shown in Fig. 4.

In the use of rail anchors for preventing creeping of rails of railroad tracks, great difiiculty has been experienced in so constructing and attaching the anchors that they will properly grip the rail and will be retained in operative position at all times. The present invention seeks to remedy this difficulty by the provision of a new and improved rail anchor that is so constructed and applied to the rail that the resiliency of the parts is utilized for increasing the gripping action of the anchor on the rail, thereby compensating for looseness of the parts due to continued and prolonged use.

Referring now to the drawing, the reference character lll designates a conventional rail of a railway track which comprises a head I I, a web l2 and a flange lit. The rail rests on and is secured to the tie M, as is usual in such constructions. The rail anchor is shown at E5 and is adapted to be secured to the rail on the side of the tie l4 opposite the direction in which the rail tends to creep andis in contact with the tie for resisting the creeping action of the rail.

In the form of construction selected to illustrate an embodiment of the invention, the anchor I5 is made from a rectangular strip of metal which has one end doubled on itself to form a return bent portion it, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3. A slot I1 is provided in the return bent portion and the end of the body portion l8 of the strip for receiving one edge E9 of the flange l3 of the rail. The slot is arranged at an angle to the edge of the strip and the marginal edges of the slot are slightly divergent to conform to the shape of said flange. inner end than the thickness of the outer end of the flange so that there will be a wedging action when the flange is within the slot. The opposite end portion of the strip is bent through an angle of as at 2| to lie in :a plane parallel with said rail and the extreme end is bent upwardly, as'at 22, for engaging the opposite edge 23 of the flange [3 of the rail flatwise. By twisting the strip, the end 22 engages the rail flange flatwise and the twisted portion is more readily sprungthat is, it is more resilient than the portion which is twisted edgewise to the rail; hence the device is readily applied and is resilientlyheld under tension while in use.

Suitable means are provided for causing the anchor to grip the rail when the same is applied thereto. In the form of the invention selected to illustrate an embodiment of the invention, the anchor is of resilient material and the central or body portion thereof is bowed downwardly to such an extent and on such a short radius that when it is in position on the rail, as shown in Fig. 1, this bowed portion will be flattened more or less and under tension, thereby tending to force the edge I9 of the flange still farther into the slots l! for wedging the flange in the slots, thereby causing the edges of the slot to grip the rail. In the use of the anchor, it is necessary that the same firmly grip the rail, as, otherwise, the rail would slip through the anchor. In addition to the arrangement described above, the ancho-r is caused to more firmly grip the rail by slightly skewing the return bent portion l6 after the slot has been formed. This will bring the slots slightly out of alignment and place the parts under tension when the anchor is forced into position on the rail since it will spring the slots back toward alignment against the resiliency of the parts at the bend. In addition to this expedient, the axis of the slot H is inclined upward at such an angle and the bowed portion The slot is slightly narrower at its of the device on such a radius that the outer end 22 of the anchor is resiliently forced upwardly, whereby when the anchor is in position, the same is tensioned vertically so that when the device is applied, the marginal portions of the slot will be under strain, thereby tending to still further grip the flange of the rail.

If desired, when the strip forming the anchor is twisted, the twisted end may also be bent or offset laterally, thereby forming what may be termed a straight edge 24 for engaging the tie l4 when the device is applied. While this form of construction is preferable, it is not necessary since the part may be simply twisted without offsetting the twisted end. In that event the twisted end only will engage the tie. In any event, the anchor engages the tie and when the rail tends to creep, the relative movement of the rail and tie will cause engagement of the lower portion of the anchor with the tie, thereby tending to twist the anchor and cause the marginal portions of the slot to more firmly grip the rail flange.

In applying the anchor to the rail, the end 22 is inserted beneath the rail, the flange I9 is engaged by the slot H, and, with the aid of a hammer or like device, the anchor is forced to the right in Fig. 1 until the end 22 snaps past the edge 23 of the rail flange.

In Figs. 4 and is shown a slightly modified form of anchor. This form of construction difiers from that just described in that the slotted end of the anchor is not provided with a return'bend. In this form of construction, the slotted end or head 25 of the anchor 26 is of wider material than the remaining portion and the slot is made in this widened portion. The outer end of this anchor is twisted through an angle of 90 and at the end bent upward, as at 28, for engaging the edge of the flange fiatwise, the same as in the previous construction. The application to the rail and the operation of the device is substantially the same as that described above.

I claim as my invention:

1. A method of manufacturing a rail anchor which comprises bending one end of a metal strip back upon itself to form a return bent portion in parallel with the body portion forming a slot at an angle to a side edge of the strip in the overlapping portions in one side edge thereof, skewing the return bent portion to offset the slot therein, twisting the end portion of the strip through an angle of 90, bowing the intermediate portion downwardly, and bending the end of the strip opposite the slots upwardly.

2. A rail anchor comprising a bowed metal strip twisted through 90, the end portion of the strip vertical to the normal plane being folded back upon itself and notched from one margin in both layers, the notches being tapered and oblique to the margin of the strip and being relatively slightly out of register, the opposite end of the strip being upturned transversely to form a lug.

3. A rail anchor formed of a metal strip having one end transversely upturned to form a lug and having a notch entering from one edge adjacent to the opposite end, the strip beinig twisted through 90 about its unnotched margin as an axis to bring its notched end portion into the plane occupied by such margin.

4. A rail anchor formed of a flat metal strip having one end bent transversely to form a lug and having a laterally entering tapering notch adjacent its opposite end, the portion extending from the lug to the notch being bowed and being twisted through about 90 about its unnotched margin.

DANIEL C. MULVIHILL.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,061,804. November 24, 1.936.

DANIEL C, MULVIHILL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2., second column, line 58, claim 4, strike out the word "about" first occurrence; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 12th day of January, A. D. 1937.

Henry Van Arsdale (Seal) I Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

